


The Lessons Learned through the Loop

by Apology_Accepted



Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Anti Character Bashing squad, Because come on its hard not to write him that way, Character Death, F/M, He's kinda overplayed at this point, I'm sick of all the retellings of Naruto at this point, Less Madara, More Kabuto, No secret Agent Itachi, Ooc Iruka, Smart Uzumaki Naruto, Smarter Mizuki, Start small but gets bigger as it goes, Time Loop, Time Travel, but that's just perspective, character exploration, except maybe Itachi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-11
Updated: 2020-08-11
Packaged: 2021-03-06 04:48:39
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,643
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25837546
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Apology_Accepted/pseuds/Apology_Accepted
Summary: After witnessing the death of his sensei Naruto finds his life spiralling out of control as he begins to relive different events. With new insight and more time what exactly could he uncover of both the world and himself?
Relationships: Haku/Uzumaki Naruto
Comments: 1
Kudos: 20





	The Lessons Learned through the Loop

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [A looped Story](https://archiveofourown.org/external_works/665524) by lin4t. 



The repetitive sound of his alarm clock blared beside him. He had tossed in and out of sleep for what felt like an eternity vainly trying to avoid the sound. Finally giving up he sluggishly raised his arm to clamp down upon the incessant noise.

"What time is it?" He mumbled, turning to face the alarm clock.

The clock read 9, he was late! 

And on the worst day possible no less, today was graduation day. The day he’d finally become a ninja. 

"Shit."

Cursing, Naruto hastily stripepd himself of his nightwear and forced on his usual orange garb before sprinting out of the house forgetting his usual goggles and breakfast.

 _‘Where is everyone?!’_ Looking up to the classroom clock he cursed his sleep deprived mind for not realizing it was actually 8:09.

_'Damn! I got here early for no reason!’_

Now he had to wait and do nothing. His leg began to wobble in his seat. Normally he’d start doing a prank, but he couldn't risk it. Not today. No matter how tempting. 

"Right, today we will be testing you to become Genin" A loud voice awoke Naruto from a slumber he was unaware he had fallen into. Mizuki continued as the blonde raised his head from the desk, "The tests will be split into three parts. The first being a written -"

Naruto internally groaned, he never had the patience to take the time to understand all the boring specifics of ninja work like the perfect angle to throw a kunai, Which sounded cool but in actuality really wasn’t. 

"The second portion will be the accuracy test and the final a ninjutsu test."

The teachers began passing out the test papers to each student. Naruto’s eyes followed Iruka in barely restrained horror. As soon as he set the paper down this would become real. And he have to accept he would probably be failing another graduation exam. Why did the writing portion have to matter so much anyway?

Wasn’t being a ninja about using Jutsu and fighting stuff?

With great frustration he brought his pencil down to begin. For what felt like an eternity he tried to decipher the increasingly difficult questions before he was finally saved from his own personal hell by Iruka’s shrill voice. 

"Time's up! Stop writing, the written portion is over!"

Next of course was accuracy. Naruto’s personal favorite. He could admit perhaps he wasn’t the best in his class but he was more than good enough to pass. Though the blonde still couldn't help his eyes from flickering to Sasuke’s own bullseye. 

And then all that was left was the jutsu portion. He was perfectly confident. He was as near to a master of the transformation jutsu as anyone was in the class and fairly proficient in the Body Replacement Technique. The only one he wasn’t that great in was-

"The clone jutsu. Create three Naruto." Iruka ordered a clip-board in hand and a stone cold look on his face. He knew just as well as Naruto that he had little skill in the technique and he still chose it anyway the rotten bastard. Mizuki beside him looked apprehensively on seemingly understanding as well his sympathy unlike Iruka’s with him. 

_'I can’t fail this portion! I already bombed the written test. Come on Naruto concentrate.’_ ' Pouring as much power into the jutsu as he could manage, Naruto closed his eyes and cried, "Clone Jutsu!"

Poof Poof.

Opening his eyes he saw two clones lifeless on the floor. Frightened, Naruto looked at Iruka for something, some emotion, some compassion. ANYTHING! But all he saw was disappointment. 

"Iruka, Naruto did pull through and replicate that's better than some students who we already passed. Even if their not functional I think it's enough to pass him. Especially with his chakra capacity, he could prove a great boon to the ninja forces. Can't we pass him?" Mizuki asked.

Naruto began to sweat. Here was an actual chance, Mizuki made some damn good points even the cold bastard Iruka couldn't refute them, right? 

Pinching his nose Iruka sighed, "Mizuki, everyone else in the class passed at least two portion of the exam. That more than proves them ready for the ninja world while Naruto here only managed one. With this in mind I cannot pass him."

Naruto felt all hope disappear as Iruka looked at him with a steady gaze.

"Naruto you…FAIL!"

Sneaking into the Hokage Tower was surprisingly easy. Naruto had always been good with sneaking about, something he picked up when he was younger to avoid people and tended to come in handy with his pranks. It was a rare day he actually got caught by anyone besides Iruka. 

It was seeming as though he may not even run into any trouble until he heard an all to familiar voice.

"Naruto what are you doing here?" 

Said boy turned around frightened to see the kindly old Hokage. Under normal circumstances he would be happy to see the old man unencumbered by work but with Mizuki’s express instructions to avoid said Hokage he was left with little choice. 

"Sexy Jutsu!"

_Poof!_

The Hokage raised his finger for a moment before simply falling backward. Naruto couldn’t help but snicker at the now unveiled pervert.

"Ha! And Iruka said it had no actual mission application, I just beat a Kage!" The blonde happily exclaimed.

With the Hokage out for the count, Naruto leaped from the window of the Hokage Office and into the shadows determined to finally prove himself.

"Let's see what the first Jutsu is…" Naruto muttered as he unrolled the ancient scroll.

The text despite its age was well maintained and clearly read: Shadow Clone Jutsu.

 _'Why does the first jutsu have to be the thing I'm the worst at?!'_ Naruto lamented

Deciding to discard what he had decided was useless he continued on to the next jutsu. Finding he couldn't understand the instructions he moved onto the next and soon for the same reason the one after that.

 _'I don't understand what these complicated words mean!'_

Moving back to the first jutsu more determined than ever he started reading as much as he could understand. This was his last chance of passing! The last chance he had of ever being a ninja! He was going to damn well learn the Shadow Clone Jutsu if it quite literally killed him!

* * *

“HAHAHA!” Naruto couldn’t quite stop himself from cackling as he rolled up the dusty scroll of sealing. Knowing not only had he passed but he now held great power at his disposal. 

Though with no scroll to distract him he found Mizuki’s absence slightly worrying. Before he could dwell on the thought further an irate Iruka appeared.

"Hehehehe, you caught me." Naruto exclaimed with a sheepish grin.

"NARUTO! What are you doing?!" The instructor demanded anger clear in his expression.

Naruto froze for a moment at the sheer vehemence of Iruka. But it did make sense didn’t it? _‘Mizuki most not of told him I was taking the makeup test and when he found out he got real angry. The cold bastard wants me to fail after all!’_

"Ne, ne. I learned a jutsu from the scroll sensei! Can’t stop me from being a genin now can ya’?” He teased excitedly waving his arms about. “I passed the makeup test and there's nothing you can do about it!” 

He had expected Iruka to be more annoyed or maybe even angry but instead the man only looked lost. “Naruto, this is serious. Who told you this?” 

"Sorry Iruka-sensei, but Mizuki-sensei told me all about it there's no way you can fail me now so don’t even think about it!”

"Wa-" Iruka suddenly jumped for him frightening Naruto into thinking the man had finally lost it and decided to off him. Instead his sensei merely pushed him aside before being pinned by a volley of raining kunai. “Iruka-sensei what-” he promptly stopped as a Fuma shuriken was firmly embedded in the man's back. 

“Naruto i’m sorry.” He muttered quietly slowly limping toward him before lifelessly falling to the hard dirt. Eyes dull and forever penetrating as they gazed back at him.

Something broke inside of him, something precious to him he couldn't even understand was broken, gone. It hurt, it hurt too much. Maybe the man was a cold bastard but at least he was always there. Red Chakra rapidly surrounded his body, gaining size and bone at a quickened pace.

"IRUKA-SENSEI!" Naruto screamed before he felt cold metal pierce his back. Everything went black.

* * *

_Loop 1 End_

"AHHHHHHHHHHH!"

Naruto woke up from his bed in a cold sweat. Iruka died right? It was seared into his brain, the cold dead look of the corpse as the blood slowly drained onto the grass. But maybe...it was all just a dream? 

_'Was the Shadow Clone Jutsu even real at all…?'_

Making a cross sign with his fingers on both hands he poured Chakra into the jutsu and said, "Shadow Clone Jutsu."

Poof.

A single clone stood next to him when he did. In a hurry, Naruto reached out to touch the clone. He jerked his hand back at the all too solid feeling of his pajama fabric. The clone was very real. Maybe too real. That meant it couldn't have been a dream at all..but then what? He paled as thoughts of the corpse materialized once more. 

_'Iruka-sensei! What happened to him afterwards?'_

Naruto ran out of his apartment only sparing time to pull on his usual clothing. He had to find Iruka, he had to be alive. The thought of the man who always paid attention to him (even if it was just to correct him), gone was chiling. Where would Iruka be? The hospital? Maybe but then...The Hokage! He knows everything that goes on in the village. _Hopefully he won’t still be too upset about me using the sexy jutsu for the makeup test._

"What happened to Iruka-sensei?!"

A thick silence descended over the room at his exclamation as he slowly turned to see the very man he had thought dead standing right next to the Hokage not full of holes and bleeding.

"Naruto?" Iruka questioned his face quizzical. At the Hokage’s laugh Iruka's face quickly darkened as he turned and hit Naruto on the head. "What are you doing barging into the Hokage’s office idiot?!" Mizuki who was standing to his right merely looked impassively at the exchange.

Naruto rubbed his sore head as confusion descended over him. How was Iruka here and fine? As excited as it was it begged some serious questions. 

"Why don’t you head off to the academy for the graduation Naruto-kun.” The Hokage chimed in good naturedly, though it was clear he wasn’t really asking. Gulping Naruto quickly escaped from the office.

 _'What's going on, graduation exams were yesterday? Am I in some sort of Genjutsu?'_ He thought as he leaped toward the academy. Things went as they were before to the point that Naruto was freaked out by it. Every last word everyone said was exactly the same. Every test the same to the letter. 

He was in such a daze he forgot to even panic as he arrived at the fateful clone jutsu. Snapping out of it he tried to summon one once more hoping his success in the shadow clone would rub off here. It didn’t. Iruka loudly failed him for a second time and he wondered why exactly he was so upset about the man's death. He shivered at the dark thought, even if he was a cold bastard no one deserved to die like that.

And who had done it anyway? Only he and Mizuki knew about him taking the make-up exam. It was supposed to be near impossible as Mizuki described so no students ever really attempted it. Of course Iruka had figured it out, so maybe the Hokage had woken up and asked Iruka about it? That didn’t seem right. And it still didn’t answer who had done it.

“Naruto what if I told you there was a way to pass?” Mizuki offered in his familiar warm voice. Naruto turned and smiled at his favorite mentor. “Well then you better bet Naruto Uzumaki’s gonna take it!”

* * *

Naruto arrived at Mizuki’s house giddily thinking he’d avoided what happened the first time and eager to show off his new technique. “Hey! Mizuki-sensei! Come on I have the scroll, I know you said meet in the forest but I think there may be some bad ninja there so I-” The door opened to reveal a dishevelled short haired brunette in a Konoha headband. “What are you doing at Mizuki’s house lady?!”

Insead of an answer he only felt a cold metal pierce straight through his stomach. Everything turned black.

Waking up for a third time felt surreal. He had thought that by going to Mizuki house he could avoid whatever ninja was hiding in the woods but instead that strange woman answered and as soon as she did... _the lady was the killer!_ No wonder Mizuki wasn’t in the forest he must have killed before he could even get there! _But wait if she killed him then?_ The blonde turned to look at his calendar.

"It's Graduation...again." He groaned. How was it possible to relive the same day three times? He got out of bed slowly this time, there wasn’t much need to rush afterall he knew Iruka was alive. Maybe reliving the same day he died was some kind of unknown bloodline? 

He sighed loudly as he finished zipping up his jacket. That woman...whoever she was, had been in Mizuki’s house around an hour before Iruka’s death.

 _‘That weird lady killed Mizuki-sensei before she got to me and probably Iruka-sensei!’_ Afterall she had...killed him. His hands clammed up at the thought. He was a ninja! He couldn't let it happen again.

Naruto had to find her before she found his instructors. The lady was a Kunoichi of Leaf so she must have been a spy or a traitor like the Itachi guy. 

The blonde set off to find the strange woman. The only issue was, he had only seen her in one place so far. _‘Well might as well.’_

Mizuki’s house emanated a distinct dark aura, the closer he got the more it seemed to seep into his body sapping him of any will or energy he had before the dingy apartment came into view. Naruto endured if only just barely, reaching the door, his palms damp and face runny with sweat. 

In all his life he’d never felt such oppressive fear. Steeling his nerves like the ninja he longed to be he raised his hand. Did he really need to come here? What if the woman was already there?! Of course it didn’t really make sense, afterall he was there for graduation. He knocked. “Mizuki did you forget-”

Everything in him screamed to run. The blonde forced a breath through his strained lungs clenching his drenched fist. She knew Mizuki...was **_she living_** **_with him?_**

“I’m sorry you must have the wrong house.” She spoke her tone matter of fact.

“I-I don’t think so, I was looking for Mizuki-sensei.” Naruto stammered hands clasping behind him. 

Her eyes lit up for a moment and a warm smile came over her face. “Oh! Mizuki never tells me about his students! I’m Tsubaki, Mizuki’s fiancée.”

And suddenly everything was back to making no sense. “I’m Naruto. Naruto Uzumaki.” The blonde introduced his words stronger than they had any right to be. 

Tsubaki’s face twitched for a moment before settling into a tight smile. “Ah, yes Mizuki had actually mentioned you. Shouldn’t you be heading to class?”

“It doesn’t start for another hour. I had a few questions for sensei, but I guess I should get going.” He hadn’t planned on leaving, but then again he hadn’t known she was dating Mizuki. _Iruka always said “one must adapt when stuff goes weird.”_ Or something like that. 

“Oh no I can’t send you off in good conscience after you already made the trip out.”

The boy had to bite his lip to stop a whimper from escaping. “Sounds awesome.”

Naruto had never been one for tea but the way Tsubaki brewed it was different. Sweeter, more smooth going down as opposed to the usual bitter tasting junk he was used too. They had talked, the tension in the air was palpable.

But as they talked slowly he loosened up and the brunette grew more genuine. By the time he was leaving for academy her unease returned.

“Thank you for the tea!” Naruto was the first to admit he knew nothing of edict, but in this situation bowing seemed right. Tsubaki let out a strained squeak. 

He turned toward the door before her hand roughly stopped it from opening. She leaned down to look at him closely. “Be careful.”

Naruto was unnerved at just how genuine those words were.

Living through the tests three times made everything predictable. 

Knowing he would inevitably fail a third time was daunting. Never mind that he could now use the Shadow Clone Jutsu which was way better than the stupid Clone Jutsu.

The only break he found was after he already failed, Mizuki’s speech was missing the usual mention of Iruka. It was odd and it was different. Naruto was forced to take note. He had asked his sensei about his fiancee so perhaps it had some sort of effect but he couldn't see any correlation. 

The only difference that made sense was perhaps he was a tad nicer to his sensei. It was hard not to be after seeing the man die for him.

Soon enough, Naruto was able to repeat the act of retrieving the Scroll of Sealing. And once more he ran into the Hokage-jiji and knocked him out once more with the sexy jutsu. 

It wasn’t until he arrived at the forest that his nerves arose. _Thinking of Iruka dead..._ but he needed to focus. **Who** had killed him. He knew it couldn’t have been Tsubaki leaving the only lead he had found so far out. The only way left to find out was seeing it for himself.The original event played back in his mind perfectly.

So the blonde knew he needed to act his part well.

"Hehehehe, you caught me.” Naruto muttered a sheepish grin adorning his face near indistinguishable from his true smile. 

"NARUTO! What are you doing?!" Iruka echoed his words merely passing over Naruto in a near nostalgic light. 

Really when he thought about it was strange. He had initially assumed Iruka had possessed an irrational hate for him or well a desire to see him fail. But now knowing what the man had done for him...Why was it Mizuki didn’t tell him about the test? And why was it jiji seemed so surprised. Initially he was just so excited for another chance but now his head had never been more clear as he went through the stale motions of his first life.

"I learned a jutsu from the scroll. I passed the makeup test. I can become a genin now right?" Naruto’s words came out more genuine and far more vulnerable than he had intended. Maybe it was because he really just wanted to hear Iruka say yes. After all this time, after watching him die, after dying himself why couldn’t they just call it a day and give him a headband? 

Naruto didn’t bother to look at his sensei as he mouthed under his breath te very words that came from his sensei’s mouth.

"Who told you this?"

"Mizuki-sensei."

The words were a little off but his eyes never left the spot his knew the shuriken had been thrown from last time. Jumping in the air Naruto narrowly grasped the edged weapon right as Iruka turned for what would have been his death. 

Eyes widening the older man slid out two shuriken before standing protectively infront of Naruto. "Show yourself!" Iruka boldly shouted to the wood.

“I suppose theres no point in hiding any longer at this point. But hey a ninja knows no plan will ever make it past conception. Well this one did make it a lot further than that actually. Naruto has proven an admirable pawn!” The voice echoed through the clearing in haunting familiarity as a figure stepped out from the under bush.

"Waaa?"

Both Naruto and Iruka were shocked to see the visage of Mizuki

The man that was always above all else kind to him, that treated him to ramen when he was down and joked with him during recess when no one else would even speak to him. His nerves flared once more worse than it had been the entire night. His breaths came in short quick bursts.

"Mi-Mizuki-sensei?" 

"Mizuki why?" Iruka’s gaze darkened to that of what you would expect of a ninja, his tone stern and clipped.

“Same reason anyone would want it I suppose. Power. The village will stunt my growth no longer, there's a new power rising Iruka one greater than the ninja of today and I intend to be a part of it.” Mizuki tittered. “Not that I would have much issue getting back into the village's good graces, Hokage be damned. Really using the demon brat was easy, sure it took gaining his trust but in the end all that took was time. Now Konoha will rejoice as I slay you. Iruka for the sake of our friendship I ask you to stand aside.”

“Demon brat..” Naruto whimpered. After everything? “Your just like the rest of them I thought-WHY WHY SENSEI! Why do they all hate me?!” He begged falling to his knees Fuma shuriken slinging to the ground.

“What did the 4th do to you? Really at first I thought you why the people of Konoha scorn you? Dreads your very existence?"

In that moment he felt so weak. The man he trusted the most in the world, even over his beloved jiji had betrayed him and now he held over him the single thing he had wished the answer to for as long as he could remember. 

“STOP! The Hokage has forbidden you to speak of it!”

Mizuki sneered for the first time his cool facade breaking, "Because you Naruto are the Kyuubi no Yoko. The monstrous beast that attacked our village 13 years ago! You the beast that slaughtered millions in your wake! Took children from parents and parents from children! That took the Yondaime from the village! This-” He stopped catching his breath and calming his tone, “This Naruto is why you are hated. The fourth sealed you the Kyubi into human form to forever mock us for what you have taken."

It made sense. In a morbid sort of way it really did. He wasn’t really mistreated, it was a stretch to go so far. Maybe they were in some ways hostile some store owners less accepting of his patronage then others but in the end it fit. He was always scorned silently, hate from the likes of glares and whispers. He was scorned by never having any genuine human connection. From never having the chance to try and make them.

So really yes it made sense that he was the boogey man of the Leaf, the story every child was told. The legacy of the fourth, the thing that put him on the map. And what was it Iruka said? The Hokage forbid them from speaking of it? 

What was the point of such a cruel ruling if they all already knew anyways? All it ultimately did was leave him ignorance. 

Iruka was tired. It was rare he ever stayed awake past 9, his body wasn’t acclimated to the late hours. Waking up as harshly as he had didn’t really help the matter either.

But of course his night just had to keep getting worse. First its Naruto stole the scroll of sealing then its his best friends a traitor. Now its the unstable container of the nine tails knows hes the _unstable container of the nine tails._

It was something Iruka had had to come to terms with. Learning your parents murderer is your student isn’t easy. Of course he had to speak to the Hokage on the matter. 

The aging shinobi had gifted him a rare insight on the matter of Jinjuriki. There were human sacrifices to contain beasts that would otherwise do exactly what the nine tails had done. IT was hard for Iruka, for anyone really to separate the two. The human and the beasts. It didn’t help the containers had a history of instability and violence. 

But the Hokage had intrusted him with Naruto’s care. So he had tried. The brunette was amazed by just how much effort Mizuki had put force. Befriending the boy and treating him to dinner when he was down.

No matter how much he forced himself to remain indifferent he could never truly attempt a connection to someone so close to his parents death. It made him respect Mizuki just that much more. Now he wondered why he never saw it.

Mizuki was always the clever one in their youth. An opportunist and radically spiteful. It fit he’d organize something like this, though it meant he must have had some kind of insurance he’d have amnesty somewhere. Killing a Jinjuriki was no light thing.

The instructor forced himself back to reality taking in the crying boy behind him and the opponent before him. “Yeah, I suppose.” 

The words were light, sounding like reluctant admission. 

“He is a part of something horrible. But isn’t it important to remember that there is humanity in him still? The beast does not walk in his skin Mizuki, merely inhabits his body.”

Iruka spoke farm calmer than he was. The words didn’t matter not really he was just biding time till one of the other search teams would show. But he still hoped his old friend would latch onto them.

“I never cared for the specifics.” The blue haired man shrugged. His posture was completely relaxed showcasing no signs of movement or fear. And with speed near unfounded he was in movement shuriken materializing in his hand as he launched toward Iruka. 

With a grunt of sheer effort the grizzled sensei managed to catch the blade before it met his heart, barely restraining it from piercing his heart. Mizuki kept pushing the blade digging into Iruka’s palm and slowly working its way through to the other side.

"Don't you touch him." Naruto growled his hands beginning to form signs neither man had seen.

"Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu!" he shouted as the forest around them exploded into smoke. Jumping back in anticipation Mizuki readied himself for what the demon had in store. He had never expected hundreds of Naruto’s to suddenly be facing him. 

"Im-Impossible!" Mizuki screamed as all the clones charged him at once.

* * *

The clones left the way they came smoke filling the valley leaving behind a beaten man in there wake. “Hmph.” The brunette grumpled. “I originally denied you the rank of genin because I thought you were unfit for combat. I believe this proves those concerns unfounded.”

Naruto looked tired, more tired than Iruka felt. Still the man held the boy's red eyed gaze as he absently laid his head against a tree. “I Iruka Umino within my power as chunin and instructor of Konoha field promote you Naruto Uzumaki to the rank of genin.”

Naruto held his eyes a moment longer searchingly his express seemingly unchanging from the haunted look of before. Slowly he broke contact and nodded. 

"Congratulations on graduating Naruto."

The chunin heard a laugh escape the boy before he closed his eyes and fell asleep against the grassy floor.

**Author's Note:**

> As i'm sure you noticed this Naruto has a very different relationship with Iruka as opposed to canon. His relationship to Mizuki is more reminiscent of his canon one with Iruka. Here Iruka plays the part of a good instructor but nothing really extra, hes a good law abiding Leaf chunin who maybe has a but of a soft spot for the knuckle head. I think its also fair to say I wrote Naruto smarter than in canon. The original version A Looped Story by lin4t Naruto couldn't even read. I don't know when i'll start the second chapter of this. I certainly found the original version interesting and wanted to rewrite it similarly to my other fic Identity Crisis. I found the direction the original went as a kind of missed opportunity, though a lot of the insight they brought to the Naruto world was impressive. Again I can't promise any updates soon. I'm not and haven't been very into the Naruto fanbase for years so I basically work on these whenever I get the writers itch.


End file.
